The Avocado Society of Kenya (ASK) has called on farmers nationwide to increase avocado planting in response to growing global demand, citing the ongoing heavy rains as an ideal window to expand production.
Speaking during a farmers’ engagement forum in Meru County, ASK Chief Executive Officer Ernest Muthomi encouraged growers to take advantage of the favourable weather and government-backed initiatives to venture into commercial avocado farming.
“Farmers should take advantage of the current rains to plant more avocado trees,” Mr Muthomi said, commending the government for its continued distribution of free seedlings. He noted that the programme has significantly lowered entry barriers, particularly in climate-friendly regions such as Meru, enabling more farmers to join the lucrative sector.
According to ASK, avocado farming remains one of Kenya’s most profitable agribusiness ventures, with the potential to boost household incomes while contributing to national economic growth. Muthomi revealed that Kenya has already secured access to major export destinations, including China and India, terming the development a “major milestone in the country’s agricultural export agenda.”
He observed that global demand for avocados continues to rise steadily, driven by growing consumer awareness of the fruit’s nutritional and health benefits. This, he said, underscores the need for increased production to maintain Kenya’s competitiveness and tap into emerging markets.
Kenya currently produces three main avocado varieties — Hass, Fuerte and Jumbo — with Hass being the most sought after in international markets. Muthomi disclosed that the country is targeting to double its annual avocado export earnings from the current Sh15 billion to Sh30 billion within the next five years, with long-term projections placing potential earnings at Sh50 billion.
“At the moment, avocado exports earn the country about Sh15 billion annually, and our goal is to grow this figure to Sh30 billion in the next five years,” he said.
The ASK boss attributed recent sector growth to the opening of new markets in China, Malaysia and India. However, he pointed out regional disparities in production, noting that while Murang’a County leads in output, other regions such as Nyeri lag behind despite having suitable soils.
“If more farmers invest in avocado farming, they will earn better returns compared to many traditional crops,” he said.
Muthomi also raised concern over the export of unripe avocados by unscrupulous traders, warning that the practice has harmed Kenya’s reputation in international markets. “Exporting immature fruit hurts our image and denies consumers the quality they expect from Kenyan produce,” he said, calling for stricter enforcement of quality standards to ensure only mature fruits are exported.
He added that ASK continues to support farmers through training, technical assistance and market linkages to help them meet international export requirements. Describing avocado as “green gold,” Muthomi reiterated that Kenya has the potential to become a dominant player in the global avocado market if production is scaled up, quality is safeguarded and more farmers are integrated into the value chain.
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